Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has picked Tabith Awal and Ishraque Hossain as mayoral candidates for Dhaka North and South city corporation elections respectively. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names of the two candidates after the party’s nomination board interviewed aspirants at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office. Earlier on Friday, party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced Ishraque Hossain as the party’s candidate for the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls since no other party leader bought BNP nomination paper to contest the election.
Meanwhile, ruling Awami League was set to announce its mayoral nominations yesterday, but party General Secretary Obaidul Quader told the media that the party will announce its candidates at a press conference today at party President Sheikh Hasina’s political office in Dhammondi at 11:00am.
Obaidul Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said this after a meeting of Awami League’s local government nomination board at Ganabhaban with party’s president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday evening. Meeting sources, however, said the leadership was in favour of nominating incumbent Mayor Atiqul Islam as the candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, MP as the party candidate for DSCC mayoral election.
BNP has picked Tabith Mohammed Awal, son of Abdul Awal Mintoo, a politician and businessman, for the third time as its mayoral candidate, after he was nominated to contest DNCC polls in 2015 and 2018. Meanwhile, Engineer Ishraque Hossain, son of former Mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka, will be contesting the DSCC mayoral election for the first time.
Earlier on Friday, three BNP leaders -- Asaduzzaman Ripon, Tabith Awal and Engineer Ishraque Hossain -- submitted their nomination papers to contest the upcoming city corporation elections. After getting the confirmation from the party, Tabith told journalist that he will try to make the city livable. “Dhaka is now the most polluted city in the world. The air quality and others environment factors make the city unlivable for the dwellers. If I’m given the chance, I will try to make it a safer city,” said Tabith. However, the other BNP candidate Ishraque Hossain said he had doubts over the election process as it will be held under the current AL government. As an engineer he will try to make Dhaka safe and livable, Ishraque said.
“Old part of the city has so many problems. Pollution of Buriganga River is one of the main problems of the city and there are many other problems and thing that I will change if I get the chance,” Ishraque said.
Tabith was pitted against AL-backed Annisul Haq in the election on April 28, 2015, but boycotted the polls on the voting day alleging widespread rigging. Tabith was also given nomination to contest the DNCC by-elections on February 26 last year following the death of Annisul Haq. However, he stayed away from the polls as the BNP decided not to take part in the election at the very last moment.
As per the Election Commission, the last date for submission of nominations is 31 December, while returning officers would scrutinise the forms on January 2. The last date for withdrawing nominations is 9 January, and the elections will be held on January 30.
Polling will begin at 8am and continue till 4pm without any break. The EC said this is the first time that electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used at all polling centres in the both the city elections. The EC said candidates must follow the electoral code of conduct during the entire process of elections, beginning from the announcement of schedule to post-election days as per the commission’s directives.